CANADIAN CF-18 CRASHED NEAR COLD LAKE

Yesterday a single seat canadian CF-18 crashed near Cold Lake during a routine training mission.

Photo Credit: RCAF

RCAF commander Michael Hood says the pilot died in the accident.
“Shortly after 11 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, a single-seat CF-188 Hornet from 4 Wing Cold Lake crashed inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range in Saskatchewan, not far from the Primrose Lake Evaluation Range,” the military said in a statement.

Cold Lake is the site of a major Canadian Air Force base on the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Emergency services, including 417 Combat Support Squadron, were en route to secure the area of the crash.
The pilot has not yet been identified, pending notification of kin.
The cause of the crash currently remains unknown, “It's too preliminary to make any type of judgement, any conclusion,” Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said. “The best thing we can do right now is to give the Air Force and the Canadian Armed Forces the space to do the work, and then we'll have more to say.”
According to The Canadian Press, at least 10 pilots have died in crashes involving Canada’s fleet of CF-18s since they were purchased in 1980. The Liberal government is currently looking at ways to replace and prolong the life of the aging aircraft.
The drama comes a few days after the decision of the Canadian Government to acquire 18 new Boeing Super Hornet fighter jets to replace the dated CF-18 pending the entry into service of the Lockeed Martin F-35A.